Thomas h



T. H. KNUTH.

LAGE FASTENER.

' Patented June 16, 1885.

(No Model.)

@iw/flaw /w/MW/ N. PETERS, Phuivuihomvber. Wuhlngw". D. C.

@Mrap STATES THOMAS H. KNUTH, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

LACE-FASTENER.

-PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,260, dated .Tune 16, 1885.

Application tiied March Rl, 1585.

T afi/Z whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THonAs H. KNUTH, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at New York, eonntyand State of New York, havein- Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Lace-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to lace fasteners adapted to be used on shoes and other arlicles of wearing-apparelrlhe object of this inventionis teso construct a lace-fastener thatthe several parts or bights of a lace will be uniformly and rigidly held thereby, as an ii-nprovement on lacefasteners heretofore made, which are adapted to hold one part only of a lace.

In making lace-fasteners to properly perform the above function, I so construct them with a spring-actingjaw orjaws that the grippi ng-snrfaces between which the lace isheld will maintain their parallelism in al l` working positions, so as to firmly grip several parts or bights of the lace with a uniform pressure on all the parts orbights of thelaee placed between them, whatever the size of the lace may be.

The ehiefapplieation of my fasteneris tohold the bights or bows and free ends of laces when tied up out of the way, and prevent said tie from becoming loose, which loosening of the tie is a source of much annoyance, and oftenhap pens when the laces are new or of a somewhat rigid nature.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, to which l. will now refer to more clearlydetne the nature and construetion of my invention- Figure l represents the upper part of a shoe with my improvedlace-fastener applied thereto. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and are respectively aside View, plan, cross-section on line .r x, and centrallongitudinalsection of one of myimproved lace-fasteners on an enlarged scale; and Figs. 6, 7, S, and 9 are longitudinalsections of modi ications.

To impart to lacefasteners the feature of maintaining the gripping-jaws parallel in all positions, I make the jaws with two spring-aeting parts, arranged one at either end of the jaws; and I prefer to make the fasteners of a single piece ent ont and stamped up from sheet metal into the form shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and in which the base-plate c has an eyelet, I,

(No model.)

projecting down from its central part, by means of which the fastener is secured on the desired artieleintheordinary way of securing by eyelets.

From opposile sides of the baseplate a are formed strips,whiclnwhen bent over the top of the base-plate, constitute springaeting gripping-jawscaml d, theinnerspring-jaw, c, being forked or provided with horns c'atits free end, which embrace the sides of the springjaw d, am? project beyond the same at its bend, so as to prevent the lace from passing under the spring c when placed between the jaws, as shown at Fig. 2, e e c representingthe partsor bights of the lace. '3y an examination of this View, Fig. 2, with Fig. 5, which is shown free of the lace, it will be seen that the spring-jaws c and d are alwaysparallel, theparts cecof the lace, after they are passed between thebend of the spri ng c and the upwardly-bent end d' of the spri ng d, forcing the free end of the spring c down to the same extent that they force the free end of the spring d up, thus insuring a uniform grip on all the parts of the lace that can be placed between the springs.

To insure the retention of the parts c c e of the lace between the gripping-jaws of the springs c and d, a bend, ci, is formed in the spring c, wh ich bend enters the pocket d2 formed in the spring d when the fastener is empty, as shown at Fig. 5; but when the springs are separated, as shown at Fig. 2, the mouth of the gripping-jaws is eonstrieted by the bend c?. I propose also to corrugate or form a bead or beads longitudinally along the springs c and d to add to their strength and make them more rigid, said eorrugations or beads by being opposite on the gripping parts of the springs bend or kink the parts of the lace, as shown at Fig. 4, so as to more lirmlyhold them against longitudinal strains. The beads may also eX- tend around the base to stii'fen it.

The application of my'lace-fasteners to a shoe is shown at Fig. l, f representing the upper part ofa shoe with lacing'hooksf, and the lace c passed around the same and tied in a bow in the ordinarymamicr. rlhe ends of thelaee and bights ofthe bow are passed between the springjaws c and Z of the fasteners,which are secured by means of thei r eyelets near the upper edge of the shoe, one at either side of the same.

Itwillbe understood that my said fasteners IOO l are adapted to hold and retain a singlelace or one part of a lace, as well as several parts when the lace is short and fastened without forming a bow-tie; and also that they can be used on any article of wearing-apparel which is secured by means of a lace. In such cases where it is desired to remove the fastener from an article requiring washing or for other purposes, I propose to substitute for the eyelet bat-breaded stem and nut, b, as shown at Fig. 6.

The fasteners may be modified in construction without departing from iny invention-as, for instance, in Fig. 6, the spring g forming the upper gripping-jaw may be bent backward onto itself at g', so as to lay parallel with the lower jaw, h, the free ends of both springs being forked so as to embrace the bend of the spring g; or the lower springjaw may be omitted, as shown at Fig. 7, the top of the base a constitnting thelower gripping-surfaces, the spring t' having two bends, i andzz, both of which yield when the lace is passed between the jaws, so that the jaw of the spring is always parallel with the fixed .jaw of the fastener.

As an eXtra security to retain the lace between the jaws, the projection 7' is forced upwadly from the base aand enters an opening, i", in the spring z' when the jaws are in contact.

The springs may be made of wire. Fig. 8 shows a fastener with an upper spring-jaw, k, formed in one piece with the base, andalower spring jaw, Z, formed of wire, secured in the base by placing its end in recesses formed by upward and downward depressions in the base, and held securely by sui tabl y swaging or pressing the connection. rlhe free end Z of the spring Z passes through a slit formed in the bend of the spring-jaw la.

Fig. 9 represents a fastener in which the spring is formed of wire m, having two bends,

m m2, adapted to act in a similar manner to the spring i of Fig. 7, said wire spring m being secured in the base of the fastener in the same manner as the spring Z, Fig. 8.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ls-

l. As an article of manufacture, a lace-fastener having a base-plate, two springsbentover the top of the base-plate from opposite sides thereof, the adjacent sides of said springs constituting the gripping-jaws, and means for securing the base-plate to an article of wearingapparel, substantially as set forth.

2. A lace-fastener consisting of the following parts in combination: the base a, the eyeletb, and the spring gripping-jaws@ and d, bent over from opposite sides of the base a, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A lace-fastener composed of asingle piece of metal, and consisting of the base a, springjaw c, having forked end c', and upward bend c2, the spring-jaw d, having the pocket di, and the eyelet b, or equi-valent securing device, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. A lace-fastener composed of a single piece of metal, and consisting of the base a, springjaw-c, longitudinally corrugated and provided with bendcz, and the spring-jaw d, also longitudinally corrugated and provided with the pocket cl2, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York, county and State of New York, this 28th day of March, 1885.

THOMAS H. KNU'IH.

Witnesses:

ALFRED SHEDLooK, H. D. WILLIAMs. 

